Machine for laying and spooling wire



(No Model? I G. B. JOHNSON 8611. O. HALE.

MACHINE FOR LAYING AND SPOOLING WIRE.

No. 450,022. I Patented Apr. 7, 1891.

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- ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE B. JOHNSON AND JOHN O. HALE, OF PRINCETON, KANSAS.

MACHINE FOR LAYING AND-SPOOLING WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,022, dated April 7, 1891.

Application filed June 23, 1890.

and JOHN O. HALE, of Princeton, in the county of Franklin and Stateof Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Laying and Spooling \Vire, of which thefolloving is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to improvements in machines for laying and spooling wire; and the object of our invention is to produce a simple, durable, and efficient machine that may be used to lay and spool any variety of wire or other material usually wound in coils, and that will be especially adapted to use in handling barbed-wire fencing, the machine laying and stretching the wire at one opera-' tion.

The invention consists in the particular construction and arrangementof parts as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figurel is a side elevation of the device; Fig. 2, a plan thereof, and Fig. 3 a front end view of the same.

The horizontal side rails A, the rear crossbar A, and the vertical standards B constitute the frame of the machine, which is mounted on suitablewheels, there being two wheels 0 in the rear mounted on the axle G and one wheel 0' in front which serves as a steering-wheel. The front wheel 0' is mounted centrally between the rails A of the frame, said rails having their front ends connected by an arch D, having four arms D, two of which are fixed to the-upper side of each rail. A fork E straddles the wheel 0 and is providedwith a shank E, which extends vertically through the center of the arch D. The wheel C is supported inthe fork by the shaft Eiwhich passes through the hub of the wheel and rests in the lower ends of the fork E. The upper end of the fork-shank E has a crank e fixed thereto, and pivoted to the outer end of the crank is a rod F, which extends rearwardly and is pivoted at its opposite end to the upwardly-extending arm 9 of the shaft G, said shaft being mounted horizontally in suitable bearings on the cross-bar Serial No. 856,337. (No model.)

A and having a treadle G fixed thereto, so that by stepping upon the treadle the shaft G, arm g, rod F, and crank e may be actuated, thus turning the Wheel 0' and steering the machine to the right or left, as desired. A crank-shaft H is mounted transversely on the rails A, so as to extend beyond the sides of the frame, and each end of the shaft is provided with a brake shoe 7L, adapted to be brought against the wheels 0 to check the speed of the machine. The crank-shaft H is provided with a' suitable treadle-lever 1-1 to enable it to be easily operated. A shaft I is mounted in keepers 11 on the upper part of the standards B, the keepers having shanks 2" extending through the standards and having suitable lever-nuts e thereon, so that the keepers and shaft may be easily loosened or removed from the standards. The shaft I is provided with a crank I, by means of which it may be turned,and thus serves as a reel. The shaft is adapted to carry a spool of wire J, and has a clutch J fixed thereon, said clutch having bent ends to engage the arms of the spool and prevent the spool from turning loosely on the shaft. Thereis sufficient space on the shaft for the spool to slide thereon, and it may be moved into engagement with the clutch J, so as to turn with the shaft, or may be removed from engagement with the clutch so as to turn loosely on the shaft and permit the wire to be easily unrolled from it. The shaft I is also provided with a ratchet-wheel j, the teeth of which are engaged by a springpawl j on one of the standards B, thus permitting the shaft to turn in but one direction. A rod K is pivoted on the rear portion of the machine-frame at the point and extends forwardly, being bent to conform to the shape of the frame, said rod having at its forward end an upwardly-curvedportion K, carrying at its end a U-shaped frame L, between the members of which is pivoted a guide-roll Z. The rod K is also provided with a laterally-extending arm 70 to the outer end of which is pivoted an upwardly-extending rod W, said rod being pivoted to a standard B at the point Wand having an outward bend k and a vertical terminal handle 75. It will thus be seen that by turning the handle it to the right or left the rod 7a will tilt upon its pivot and will move the arm 70' and rod K,

thus bringing the guide-roll Z into a desired position.

To operate the machine for laying fencingwire the wire i from the spool J is passed over the guide-roll Z and through the frame L to the rear of the machine, where it is fixed to a post. The machine is then propelled forward by any suitable power, thus stretching the wire to any desired extent. The wire is fixed to the posts in the usual manner, and what is left may be rewound upon the spool. The guide-roll may be easily moved by the operator,who stands upon the frame, so as to make the wire bearevenly upon the roll, and the machine is easily steered by means of the mechanism described above.

The machine While being especially adapted to lay and stretch fence-wire may also be used for Winding any sort of wire, and may be also used as a hose-reel or to wind any variety of coil goods.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wire laying and spooling machine, the combination, with a frame mounted on suitable wheels and having vertical standards thereon, and a shaft mounted on the standards and adapted to carry a spoolyof a rod pivoted to the rear portion of the frame, so as to extend forwardly therefrom, said rod having at its forward part a vertical portion carrying a guide-roll to guide the wire to the spool, an arm fixed to the rod and extending laterally therefrom, and a vertical rod pivoted to the arm and to one of the standards, and by means of which the position of the guide-roll may be reg nlated, substantially as described.

2. In a wire laying and spooling machine, the combination, with a frame carrying wirewinding mechanism and having one end mounted on a pair of wheels and the opposite end provided with an arch, of a single wheel mounted in a fork having a shank extending vertically through the arch, a crank fixed to.

the fork-shank, a shaft mounted on the frame and provided with a treadle and an upwardly-extending arm, and a connecting-rod pivoted to said arm and to, the fork-crank, so that by moving the treadle the fork may be turned and the machine steered, substantially as described.

GEORGE BJOHNSON. JOHN O. HALE.

\Vitnesses:

J. R. THORNBURG, O. REISCH. 

